SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), who made the playoffs in the previous Indian Premier League (IPL) season, will be looking to go even further in the upcoming season, which begins on April 9. SRH finished third in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last season, securing a top-four spot in dramatic fashion. On April 11, the David Warner-captained team will face the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 season opener (KKR). SRH endured a loss well before the IPL 2021 started when all-rounder Mitchell Marsh withdrew due to personal reasons. They did, however, sign England’s Jason Roy as a substitute for the Australian cricketer.
With the inclusion of Kedar Jadhav, SRH have bolstered their middle-order batting. The former CSK batsman may be a good addition to the team’s already solid top order. Warner, Jonny Bairstow, and Manish Pandey are the franchise’s top three players.
SRH will be attempting to challenge the top guns like Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) for a spot in the playoffs, and likely even a contest for the cup, after winning the IPL title once before (2016).
SRH purchased three new players at the IPL 2021 Player Auction in the hopes of bolstering their squad for the upcoming season.
Kedar Jadhav, an all-rounder, was purchased for Rs 2 crore, and the franchise was competitive in their bid.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman was purchased for Rs 1.5 crore to provide Rashid Khan with business. The bowler filled the squad’s only remaining overseas spot.
SRH has spent Rs 30 lakh on Jagadeesha Suchith, a bowler.
Roy, an English batsman, went unsold during the auction but was later signed by SRH after Marsh’s departure.
Warner has been tasked with guiding the team by the franchise. Other international players kept by the club include Bairstow, Williamson, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Jason Holder.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead his side’s bowling attack in IPL 2021, despite only appearing in four matches last season due to injury. He will be joined by T Natarajan, the star draw of SRH’s Indian contingent, who has been hogging the limelight recently due to his international exploits.
During IPL 2020, Natarajan was a revelation.
Pandey, on the other hand, will look for more accuracy with the bat.
Basil Thampi, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Vijay Shankar, Saha, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, and Virat Singh are among the other Indian cricketers who have been retained.
In 14 matches, SRH had a topsy-turvy effort in the UAE, with seven victories and seven losses. The franchise had a spectacular finish, beating Mumbai Indians in the penultimate match of their league phase to qualify for the playoffs. They started the knockout stage with a victory in the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), but lost the critical Qualifer 2 against Delhi Capitals. Warner was his team’s shining star in the batting department, finishing third in the Orange Cap chase with 548 runs in 16 games. He also had four half-centuries on his record. Rashid Khan, on the other hand, was their best bowler, taking 20 wickets in 16 games. He came in sixth place for the Purple Cap Race.